U.S. Supreme Court Examines Sobriety Blood Test Laws

Changes could be coming to the way police obtain blood samples in drunk driving cases.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week on whether a warrant is needed in order to extract blood for a sobriety test from someone suspected of driving drunk.

The hearing stems from a DUI case in Missouri.

In Florida, a driver most give their consent for a blood test, except under exigent circumstances, such as the crash causes serious injury or death to a person.

"That is (to) strap somebody down and take their blood without a warrant is a trampling of the Fourth Amendment. I certainly hope the government in Missouri does not prevail . I think it's opening up Pandora's Box," says Frederick Conrad, a Criminal Law and DUI Attorney in Florida.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make a decision some time this summer.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.